Nottingham Forest make their first trip to the Stadium of Light since 2004 when they take on Sunderland this evening.

The Reds will be looking to get back to winning ways after two successive league defeats but will face a tough challenge from Simon Grayson's side.

The Black Cats were relegated from the Premier League last season and will be determined to bounce back, but they have found life tough in the Championship so far and will be keen to end a run which has seen them fail to win at home since December 2016.

Team news

David Vaughan, Jamie Ward and Matty Cash have all stepped up their recovery from injury but will not be fit in time for tonight's game.

Stephen Henderson returned to the matchday squad on Saturday after a lengthy lay-off and will be looking to be involved again at Sunderland.

From the opposition

Sunderland boss Simon Grayson has called on his side to show bravery against Forest this evening.

He said: "If you're not confident in yourself and you're getting criticism then you're not going to play to your maximum. All of a sudden that can change, you get that spring in your step and you can be a different animal.

"Its only results that can change the mentality of everyone connected with the club, the players, staff and supporters. We've had seven games, there's still a long way to go, there's some big clubs around us, Villa, Birmingham, Norwich. Its a tough division and there's no divine right because of your name to win matches.

"Whoever goes out there on Tuesday night needs to be brave, to get on the ball and show enthusiasm and when you're under a bit of pressure, stand up and be counted."

Tickets

Tickets are no longer available from the Nottingham Forest ticket office but a cash turnstile is available at the Stadium of Light. For full ticket information, click here.

Coverage

Tonight's match will be available live on iFollow Forest for international subscribers, with audio commentary also available.

You can also follow the game in the Match Centre and via the club's official social media channels.

Other fixtures

All fixtures to be played at 7.45pm on Tuesday unless otherwise stated:

Sunderland 0-1 Forest

12 September 2017

NFFC

Daryl Murphy struck with four minutes to play to earn Nottingham Forest a 1-0 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

A tight encounter on a wet evening in the North East turned into a joyous night for The Reds as the Republic of Ireland international found the back of the net to seal Forest's second away win of the season.

Mark Warburton made five changes from the weekend's defeat at Sheffield Wednesday as he sought to bring some fresh legs into the side.

Matt Mills came back into the starting 11 as captain with Armand Traore being preferred ahead of Danny Fox. Andreas Bouchalakis, who came on as a sub at Hillsborough, started in place of Zach Clough with Kieran Dowell and Murphy also getting the nod.

The home side were first to try their luck early on through Lewis Grabban. The striker unleashed an ambitious effort from well outside the area after cutting inside but failed to keep his shot down.

Minutes later former Forest loanee Jonny Williams broke down the left and squared the ball to Callum McManaman whose shot was blocked by skipper Mills as he threw himself in the way.

Despite enjoying the majority of the possession, Forest failed to create any real goalscoring opportunities. Dowell and Bouchalakis both tried their luck from range but the pair's efforts sailed over the bar just before the break.

If the visitors ended the first half on top, it was the home side who were definitely the more threatening after the break. McManaman wriggled past Joe Worrall early on only but scuffed his close-range effort straight at Jordan Smith.

Sunderland were dangerous with every attack and Bryan Oviedo was next to try his luck just before the hour mark. The full-back made a strong run from defence and unleashed a powerful left-footed drive from the edge of the area but the ball crashed into the side netting.

The visitors were on the back foot and manager Warburton felt the need to make changes. First Barrie McKay replaced Bouchalakis followed by Clough for Dowell as The Reds went in search of the winner.

The high tempo from the beginning of the half soon dropped and both sides were struggling to take a foothold in the match. Williams was again causing problems for the Forest back line and he very nearly put the home side ahead with just under 10 minutes to play.

The ball fell to Williams from distance and the Welshman connected sweetly with a rasping left-footed drive only to see the ball go inches wide of Smith's right-hand post.

Just as the match looked to be heading for a goalless draw, the visitors found a breakthrough and went in front.

After a misplaced pass at the back, McKay drifted inside the home side penalty area and played in Murphy. The number nine's first touch allowed him to fashion a shot from the angle and squeeze the ball underneath Robbin Ruiter to put Forest in front with four minutes left.

After a nervy final few moments, Forest were able to hang on and pick up three points courtesy of Murphy's late strike and give themselves a much-needed boost ahead of Saturday's visit of Wolves to The City Ground.